Long Friday

Learning to live without the Dukes

Lockers were cleared out. School transfers arranged. Some quick goodbyes and the boys of winter were gone. Shaking the dust from Wellington’s Main Street from their heels the Dukes headed to their respective homes last week—not even pausing for a team photograph.

It was a brutal and sudden end to the Dukes season. Many fans were still in denial a week later. The Friday night ritual is on hold until August. It is hard to know what Dukes fans will do with all this spare time. Perhaps we’ll see a mini-baby boom in Wellington next winter. Perhaps a spike in home renovations. Shire Hall may consider Friday night council meetings.

Few Dukes fans are likely surprised, however, by Kingston’s early success over the first place Trenton Golden Hawks (Kingston is up three games to one in the best-of-seven series) as of Monday. The Voyageurs have been playing smart hockey in the playoffs, sound defensively—starting with Charlie Finn in net—and waiting for their chances. Kingston was strong behind the red line forcing turnovers willing to do the grinding work to free up loose pucks.

Should Kingston and Whitby emerge as victors from their quarterfinal series—the fourth and fifth-placed teams after 59 games of the regular season will be vying for the OJHL East Championship—with a brightly lit road ahead of them.

MURPHY COMMITS TO COLGATE
Darcy Murphy has accepted a Division 1 scholarship, committing to Colgate University for the 2013-2014 season. The announcement is great news for the OJHL’s leading scorer this season as he has earned a spot in a great hockey program in this upstate New York school that will turn 200 the year after Murphy graduates. The Senators’ Jesse Winchester and the St. Blues centre Andy Mc- Donald are both graduates of the men’s hockey program at Colgate.

The news is even better for Dukes fans as Murphy will be back in a Wellington jersey for another season.

“Darcy has earned this great opportunity at Colgate through hard work and a tremendous attitude, said Dukes General Manager and Head Coach Marty Abrams. “He puts the team first and continues to improve his game by his high commitment level. Our entire organization and our great fans are very proud of Darcy.”

Forty former Dukes players have moved on to to the NCAA over the past seven years— making this program one of the most prodigious developers of talent for high calibre U.S. college hockey.